


Just Like Grandpa Jack

by Jellybean96



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Episode: s05e05 Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Future Fic, Kid Fic, Parent Angus Macgyver, Parent Riley Davis, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellybean96/pseuds/Jellybean96
Summary: Mac and Riley take their son to visit his namesake again.
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016) & Riley Davis, Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 73





	Just Like Grandpa Jack

**Author's Note:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new one for ya. This one's definitely a 180 from the last story I posted for Macgyver, seeing as this one actually follows the current canon of the show. So if you aren't caught up, then major spoilers ahead for ya. I hope this one will tug at your heartstrings and make you cry. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

"Babe, you ready to go yet?"

Mac looks over at his wife as he's tucking the hem of his shirt into his pants, giving her a small smile. "Just about. Little man ready to go yet? Or is he still stalling?"

Riley smiles back at him, leaning against the open doorway and crossing her arms over her chest. "You know he's still stalling. Pretty sure he found the paperclips too. And let me tell you right now, I do not need to be finding those things stuck in between the couch cushions or other places they should not be."

Mac chuckles and nods, looking back at his reflection. "Of course he did. Don't worry, I'll talk to him."

"Good."

Mac leans closer to the mirror in front of him as he fiddles with the collar of his shirt. He lets out a frustrated huff of air, hanging his head and dropping his hands to rest on the countertop. He does not need this today of all days.

Riley's laugh echoes. "Need some help there?"

He turns to her and sighs in defeat. "I don't know what's going on with it. I've never had this much trouble with a collar before. This is what I get for wearing a new shirt."

She just smiles, pushing off the door frame and walking closer to him. She quickly fixes his collar with ease and then lets her hands linger on his chest. "There. All fixed. And you look as handsome as ever."

Mac smiles down at his wife, snaking his arms around her waist to pull her closer. "How on earth did I get so lucky?"

She tilts her head, sliding her arms up to loop around his neck. "Mmm...I think it involved a lot of alcohol and a very tipsy game of truth or dare."

He chuckles and nods at the memory. "Right. Thank goodness for that, then." He leans down to give her a lingering kiss and then pulls her into a hug, burying his face in her neck, trying to shut the rest of the world out for as long as possible.

Some of the tension leaves his body when Riley's hand cradles the back of his head, something she does with their son too when the boy is having a rough time. He knows it's a tough day for her as well, that they both lost someone important to them. And this day is just another painful reminder of what they'll never get back. But they always manage to make it through to the end of the day because they have each other. And that's the most important thing.

Gently pulling away but not completely stepping out of his wife's hold, he smiles softly. "I love you."

She smiles back just as softly. "I love you too. I'm gonna go see if little man's dressed yet." She rises just enough to give him a quick kiss and then turns to walk out of the bathroom, leaving him alone again.

He turns back to the mirror to finish getting ready — there really isn't much left for him to do — and then stands there for a moment longer. He just stares at his reflection, thinking about the day and what it means. He has what feels like a million thoughts rush through his head, and he does his best to get them all in order, to not let them overwhelm him. It's not easy, but he manages. It's gotten easier over the years, but it can still be a struggle some of the time.

Faint traces of laughter drifting into his ears makes him smile. The laughs of his two favorite people melding together, creating his favorite sound. He never gets tired of hearing it.

Pushing off the counter, he runs a hand through his hair and then makes his way out of the bathroom, flipping the light off as he goes. He walks a few steps down the hall until he's in front of the open doorway to his son's bedroom, his heart swelling at the sight he's met with. Yet another thing he'll never get tired of.

Riley is sitting on the carpet with their four-year-old son curled up in her lap, the little boy wearing his nicest pair of blue jeans and his _Ninja Turtles_ pajama shirt. They're clearly in the middle of a tickling match, Riley unsurprisingly having the upper hand, both their faces flushed from laughing so hard.

Mac leans against the door jamb and smiles at the scene, watching it continue to unfold. There's no rush. The place they're going to will still be there even if they don't leave when they wanted to. It's much harder to leave on time when kids are involved, something he learned very quickly after their son was born. He wouldn't trade a single second of it, though. He enjoys his life so much more now than he ever has before, and he sometimes can't believe that this is where he's ended up after everything he's done and suffered through.

"Daddy!"

He's startled out of his thoughts and looks up to find his son lying upside down in Riley's lap, a half-delirious smile on his face. He smiles back at his son, a small laugh escaping past his lips. "Hey, Jack. What are you doing?"

"Playin' with mommy."

"Yeah, I can see that." He moves into the room and squats near his son, casually draping an arm around Riley's shoulder. "So maybe you'd rather just stay here and play by yourself while your mom and I go have pizza and play skee ball."

Jack's dark eyes go wide and he scrambles to push himself out of Riley's lap and sit on his knees. "No, daddy! I wanna go! I wanna play 'kee ball."

Mac chuckles at his son's excitement. He and Riley go as often as they're able to, just the two of them. But they just recently started taking Jack with them every once in a while, and he's beyond glad that his son enjoys going. "Alright. Well, get your shirt on then."

"Okay."

Mac watches as his son steps over to his race car bed where his shirt for the day is already laid out, courtesy of Riley picking the boy's clothes out the night before. He lets out a breath and plops himself down on the carpet, leaning his head on his wife's shoulders and letting his eyes fall closed.

"How are you feeling right now?"

He breathes deeply. "Honestly? I don't know. I miss him every day. But I don't think it hurts as much anymore."

"Me too," Riley responds quietly. "I wish he was here right now. Then we wouldn't be feeling like this."

He nods against her. "Yeah. Of course, if that were true, our son would have a completely different name."

Riley laughs quietly. "No doubt about that. There's no way I'd need him holding that over me for the rest of my life."

A soft thump against the carpet has him opening his eyes to see his son sitting on his knees and watching him carefully. He smiles softly. "Hi, buddy."

Jack smiles. "Hi, daddy. You sleepy?"

"No, buddy, I'm not sleepy. I was just thinking. Your mom's great to just lean against and think about stuff."

"I know. Can we play 'kee ball now?"

Mac reaches out to grab his son around the waist and carefully pull him into his lap. "We've got somewhere else to go first, buddy. We took you last year, but you might not remember. It's a very special place for me and your mom, where we go see somebody who was very, very special to us." He glances up at Riley and gives her a small smile, a look of understanding passing between them. He looks back at his son and brushes back some of his dirty-blonde hair, making a mental note to give the boy a haircut later. "And he is someone that I'm sure would have been very special to you too."

"Okay. Can we go see him?"

Mac nods with a smile. "Of course we can. Go get your shoes and socks on and then we'll go." He watches for a moment as his son moves across the room to find his socks, and then turns to look at Riley. "How much of what we tell him do you think he's going to understand?"

Riley breathes deeply, taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. "Your guess is as good as mine. He's crazy smart for his age because we're his parents, but also, he's still really young so the importance might not register for him."

Mac nods in agreement. "Well, then let's hope for the best and try not to be disappointed otherwise."

She smiles, giving his hand a small squeeze. "Good plan." She leans forward to give him a kiss and then stands from the carpet to make her way out of the room. Probably to make sure they have everything they need for Jack packed away in a bag just in case.

One never knows with a small child when they're gonna need an extra set of clothes, or snacks, or random little toys to keep him entertained. It had amused Riley when they first realized that Jack takes after him with needing to keep his hands busy as often as possible, even at such a young age.

"Daddy, I'm ready."

He smiles over at his son. "Good job, buddy. Should we go find mom and get going?"

Jack nods with a smile. "Yeah. Imma race you," he says matter-of-factly and then darts out of his bedroom.

Mac just laughs and then stands to follow his son out into the rest of the house. When he makes it to the living room, he sees Riley lifting Jack into her arms and settling him on her hip, pressing kisses to his cheek and making the boy giggle.

This day has definitely become much easier to handle since the arrival of their son, he has no doubt about that whatsoever. It's still tough, of course, and it always will be, but spending the day with his wife and his son, both of whom he loves more than words can sometimes express, the pain is much, much easier to handle.

.

.

.

Making her way through the grass freshly cut grass, Riley stays close at Mac's side as they watch their son move ahead of them, hopping along the rows and talking to his favorite _Ninja Turtle_ action figure clutched tightly in one hand. They come here every year on the same day, without fail, and with their son in tow. But neither of them knows if the gravity of it all has really hit him.

Riley's holding back her tears as she walks, gripping tightly to her husband's hand for comfort and strength. It's a tough day, one that neither of them is ever going to forget. And she hopes that their son won't forget it either, even though the little boy never got to meet his namesake.

Finally reaching the proper headstone, Riley lets go of Mac's hand so he can approach the headstone while she looks for their son. She spots him a few feet away by a large tree and calls his name, gesturing for him to join her and Mac.

"For you, mommy," Jack says with a wide, toothy grin when he reaches her, holding up a couple of small white daisies.

Riley smiles and takes the flowers, squatting in front of her son and running a hand over the top of his head. "Thanks, baby. Now come here." She gently tugs him closer so he's standing between her legs and turns him around so he's facing Mac. "Do you remember coming here last year with me and your dad?"

Jack shakes his head. "No. Daddy, what's that?" he asks, pointing to the headstone.

Mac takes a deep breath and flashes a watery smile. "That, little man, is Jack Dalton."

The little boy gasps, his eyes going wide as he points to his chest. "I'm Jack."

Riley hugs him a little tighter and Mac just smiles.

"Yeah, buddy, you are," Mac says. "And do you know why your name is Jack?"

He shakes his head. "No."

"You're named Jack because of a man who was, and still is, very special to me and your mom."

"How?" Jack asks, leaning back against Riley.

Riley smiles, leaning her head against her son's as she gets ready to hear Mac explain. It's the same each time they've come here the last few years, though she's not surprised that Jack doesn't remember what they've already told him before about the man he's named after. They've had a few discussions about what they'll do if Jack ever gets tired of hearing the story, but for now, they're not going to worry too much about it.

Mac's entire face lights up as he tells the story, putting every important detail he can into it. She'll never tire of hearing him tell their son about his namesake. She wants her son to know exactly the kind of man Jack Dalton was. Riley chimes in here and there with her own remarks about the man she always saw as a father.

Once they've finished talking, Riley watches her son carefully, waiting for his reaction. There's a chance he won't have much of a reaction since he's still so young, but she's hoping that he'll say something in response to what he's been told.

"What do you think, baby?" Riley eventually asks, tilting her head down just enough to look at her son.

Jack's head tilts to the side, his tiny brows furrowed together tightly as he fiddles with the bendable arms and legs of his action figure. Then he pushes himself away from her and walks the few steps toward the headstone.

Riley shifts so she's sitting cross-legged on the grass, leaning against Mac when he sits beside her, and then grabs his hand and laces their fingers together. He leans his head against hers, pressing a quick kiss to her hairline.

She watches as Jack slowly approaches the headstone, squatting down in front of it. He reaches out his little hand and runs his fingers over the engraved lettering. Then he leans forward and kisses the stone. "Hi, grandpa."

Riley sits up straight and shares a look with her husband, their brows furrowing together tightly at hearing their son's words.

"Buddy, what'd you just say?" Mac asks, leaning forward just a little.

Jack turns around with his usual smile, pointing behind him to the headstone. "Mommy said he was like her dad. So that means he's my Grandpa."

Riley smiles with tears in her eyes, knowing how much her pseudo-father would have truly thrived as a grandpa. "Yeah, baby. And he would have loved you so much. He would have made you his little partner in crime, and you two would have done everything together."

Mac gives her hand a small squeeze and offers her a smile when she looks at him. He presses a kiss to the back of her hand and then turns his attention to their son. "You were named after an incredible man, Jack. One of the best men in the entire world."

"Why's...um...why's he...why's he not here?"

Riley swallows down the lump that immediately forms in her throat at the reminder of one of the worst moments of her life. "He was hunting down a really bad person," she explains to her son. "And, unfortunately, the bad person got away, but your Grandpa Jack died trying to catch them."

"Did the bad guy get caught?"

Riley smiles and nods. "He did. Your dad and I, plus your uncle Boze, your aunt Desi, and Russ, went after the bad guy. And we found her. And now she's in jail where she can't hurt anybody else. We finished what your grandpa Jack started, and he died protecting a lot of innocent people. He's a hero."

"Like Donatello?"

Riley laughs and nods at the comparison. "Yeah, baby, just like Donatello."

Jack's tiny brows furrow together as he looks down at the headstone. Then he looks up and puts the most determined look on his face that Riley's ever seen from him. "I wanna be a hero just like Grandpa Jack."

Riley glances over at Mac to see him smiling at their son with tears shining in his eyes. It makes her own smile grow and the tears continue to build.

"I think that's a great idea," Mac tells the little boy. "And your grandpa Jack would love that you want to be just like him."

Jack just smiles brightly at them and then launches himself at them, landing mostly in Mac's lap with his head in Riley's lap, a quiet giggle escaping him.

Riley leans down, brushing her son's hair back and kissing his forehead. "We love you so much, baby."

"Love you too, mommy. Can we go play 'kee ball now?"

She laughs quietly and nods. "Of course we can." She gently grabs him under the arms and sets him on his feet. "Your grandpa Jack loved pizza and skee ball and he would love that you love it too."

"Daddy, I wanna race," Jack announces, switching gears so quickly the way only a child can.

Riley shoots her husband a look, a wordless conversation passing between them. He knows exactly what she's asking without her having to even ask. Just like always.

Mac brushes off his pants as he stands, smiles at the headstone in a silent goodbye —he'd already said what he needed to when they first got there — and then focuses on Jack. He speaks quietly, crouches down, and then the two are shooting off across the lawn.

Standing up and brushing off her pants, Riley steps toward the headstone and crouches in front of it. She rests a hand on top to keep her balance as she smiles. She uses her other hand to wipe away the tears that have finally started falling.

"I know I say it every year, but I hate that you're not here anymore. I miss you like crazy." She glances behind her to look at Mac picking up their son and spinning him around in the grass, making the boy laugh loudly. "And I know you'd love our son just as much as we do, convincing him to get into all kinds of trouble with you." She turns back to the stone and lets out a breath. "We should probably get going so little man can have his pizza and play skee ball. He gets very heavily invested in that game," she says, letting out a small laugh. She smiles at the stone, patting the top of it much like her son did earlier. "See you soon, Jack."

Breathing deeply, Riley stands and slides her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she makes her way across the cemetery toward the entrance where they parked. Her face lights up with a smile at seeing her husband and son standing by the car both of them with wide smiles on their faces.

As soon as she reaches them, she takes her son from Mac and engulfs him in a hug. She breathes deeply again and presses a kiss to the boy's hair.

An arm snakes around her waist and she looks up to see Mac watching her with careful, loving eyes. "How are you feeling right now?" he asks softly, one of his hands coming up to rest on Jack's back.

She takes a deep breath as she leans into his hold and gives him a small smile. "It still hurts. But I'm getting through it. This helps."

Mac leans forward and presses a kiss to her hairline, his lips lingering against her skin.

She closes her eyes at the familiar sensation, continuing to breathe deeply and slowly.

"Mommy! Daddy! I wanna play 'kee ball."

Riley lets out a small laugh as she opens her eyes to look at her son. "We did say we'd go play that, huh?"

Jack nods. "Yeah."

"Alright. Let's go, then."

They all pile into the car, Mac taking the driver's seat and starting it up while she gets Jack strapped into his booster seat. She passes him one of his other _Ninja Turtle_ figures that had fallen on the floor earlier and then climbs into the passenger seat and straps herself in.

Once they're out on the road, she grabs Mac's hand, laces their fingers together, and rests them on the center console. She looks up at him and they share a smile, no words needing to be exchanged between the two, not after the number of years they've known each other.

Leaning back in her seat, she lets her eyes drift to watch the scenery pass by as they drive. This day is never easy, it always makes her think about the what-ifs. But having her little family at her side makes it hurt a little less.

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> I basically cried like a baby from start to end of the latest episode, so this was kind of therapeutic, in a way, I guess. I don't really know. I just thought the idea was sweet of them naming their son after Jack.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


End file.
